Subsonics

Flesh Colored Paint

Slovenly

Subsonics have been a fixture of the Atlanta music scene since 1992 and have remained doggedly underground. They release albums; they tour the world and earn the respect of their peers but still remain a bit of a mystery. The band is fronted by guitarist Clay Reed who combines the punk literati style of Richard Hell with a bit of Jello Biafra whine. Buffi Aguero (Tiger! Tiger!) provides the Moe Tucker-ish primal thump while Rob DelBueno (Man or Astroman) provides the deep foundation tones. Together, they churn out economical chunks of garage punk poetry.

Flesh Colored Paint is the Subsonics 8th album. They employ the punk economy of the Minutemen – say what you have to say and get out of the way. The tunes are so well crafted that “You Got Eyes” seems perfect at one minute and twenty eight seconds in length. Reed gets a lot of story told about “Baby and Chita” in about the same time. “Johnny Left Hand” takes a bit longer to indulge in a bit of Brill Building pop craft and a surf-billy guitar solo. “Die a Little” makes use of the “little death” metaphor for a song about shagging and “I Believe I Don’t Believe”, a song about doubt, is an epic clocking in at over 3 minutes. What more do you need?